Robert Jenrick vows to emulate Donald Trump by moving the British embassy in Israel to its 'legitimate capital' Jerusalem as he gives conference speech in 'Hamas are terrorists' hoodie

Tory leadership favourite Robert Jenrick has vowed to emulate Donald Trump by moving the British embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The former minister wore a ' Hamas are terrorists' hoodie as he addressed a Conservative Friends of Israel event at party conference in Birmingham .

Speaking alongside the other three candidates to replace defeated Rishi Sunak he also boasted of getting Israel added to the e-gates system at UK airports.

This, he told the audience, made sure that the Star of David was flown at the UK border as a 'show of support' for the Jewish state.

Just five countries currently have their Israeli embassy based in Jerusalem, which is also claimed by Palestine .

The most prominent of them is the United States, after Mr Trump had it moved in 2018 when president.

The British embassy is currently in Tel Aviv, but Mr Jenrick told the event: 'I stood in this very hall a few years ago and I said it then, as I say it now tonight, and if the Foreign Office or the civil servants don't want to do it, I will build it myself.

'So friends, the next Conservative Party manifesto will say build the embassy in Jerusalem, recognise Jerusalem as the legitimate capital of the state of Israel.'

All four candidates spoke at a reception for the Conservative Friends of Israel on Sunday evening, setting out their support for the nation.

Ms Badenoch claimed a group of independent MPs who stood on pro-Gaza tickets are a 'new threat', telling the fringe event: 'We must not pretend that these people are a minority.

'We have to fight this ideology that has no business in our country.'

Mr Tugendhat said the Conservatives should be 'absolutely clear that we will always stand with democracies defending themselves' and hit out against Labour's partial arms embargo on Israel.